Former NFL star surprises Augusta mom with fully furnished home

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

News 12 This Morning

AUGUSTA, GA (WRDW/WAGT) -- Warrick Dunn has touched down in Augusta for the second time, but this time he and his crew are making the American Dream come true for Nailah Bakari, a veteran and single mother of three.

"Like, oh my gosh, my budget just opened up because I was going to finance my furniture, so I was looking at budgeting that. I was just thinking what a gift, what a blessing, because I knew that with owning a home that was ground forward for me because now I can start investing and start putting money away for my children," Bakari said.

The Warrick Dunn Foundation, along with Aaron's Furniture, Peach State Federal Credit Union, and the City of Augusta Housing and Community Development, helped make all of this possible.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me and what done for the other communities that you are going to continue to help," Bakari said.

Painted, decorated, fully stocked, Bakari is the second mother to receive this special gift in Augusta. Since beginning his foundation 21 years ago, Dunn has touched the lives of 171 families in total.

"To raise a family, you need help and you can't have pride get in the way," Dunn said. "I just think she's done a really good job of really standing on her two feet, but it's a journey after this. It's not over and as an organization we are going to make sure we help her down the road to be sustainable," Warrick says.

The story doesn't stop with this mom.

Dunn and Hawthorne Edward Welcher Jr,, Augusta's housing and community development director, say they are on a mission to transform the lives of so many more first time, single mother households.

"It's just one of those surreal feelings, it really really is when you start talking about Warrick Dunn charities, and you talk about Augusta, Georgia and our mission in housing and community development is creating positive relationships through partnerships," he said. "What better way partnership with a happy ending just couldn't be so overjoyed. This is why we do what we do."